


Snapshots

by wartransmission



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/F, Highschoolstuck, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-25
Updated: 2013-07-25
Packaged: 2017-12-21 07:18:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/897453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wartransmission/pseuds/wartransmission
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Well, this isn’t denial. It’s me telling you that I’m not a hipster.”</p><p>John laughs, because that’s Dave totally being in denial. “Sure you aren’t.”</p><p>“Damn right I’m not.”</p><p>[Or: Snapshots of John and Dave as they struggle to get through their friendship without ending up strangling each other, mostly because John is shit at taking photos and Dave is ashamed of it. You'd think that his skill in photography would pass on to his best friend, but it doesn't.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Snapshots

001.

 

“Sit. Still.”

 

“How ‘bout, hmm, no,” John drawls, grinning brightly when Dave gives him a blank look.

 

“You said I’d have to catch you to have you help out with my photo project, and I’m sitting on you right now.” Dave frowns when John squirms with a little more fervor underneath him. “John, this is not what I had in mind when you said you’d cooperate.”

 

“I never said I’d be still enough, and who says I can’t cooperate when I’m moving?” John gives him a shit-eating grin as he folds both of his arms to settle his hands below his ear, before doing some crunches. A shining example of a muscle head. “Come on, just admit that you’re ashamed of your selfies.”

 

“Fuck you, Egbert, my selfies are ironic and hilarious,” Dave retorts, swinging both of his legs forward until his feet are planted on either side of John’s head, effectively stopping John from his crunches. John makes a face at him, which he responds to with a gleeful smirk. Or as gleeful as he can permit himself without completely breaking his cool façade. “Do you really want me to take a picture of you between my legs, John? Because I am totally fine with that.”

 

“I don’t really care, man,” John says with a sigh. “I’m not the dude who’ll lose his girlfriend- or potential girlfriends.”

 

“I’m over dating for now. Besides, _you’re_ the one who’s never had a girlfriend. Vriska doesn’t count, dude. It lasted like, a week, until you realized how crazy she was.”

 

John makes a face at him and, unsurprisingly, tries to wiggle him off without much success. “Low blow, man. Besides, she’s not crazy. Not _completely,_ anyway. She’s mostly, uh. Aggressive.”

 

“’Aggressive,’” Dave repeats with air-quotes, laughing when John bucks up and almost makes him tumble forward. “ _Man._ Just let me take a few photos of your sexy self, and we can have it over with. No more teasing. Deal?”

 

“Fucker,” John grumbles, before relaxing on the floor, tilting his head up with a sigh, and nodding. “ _Fine_ ,” he whines, closing his eyes as Dave removes his camera from around his head to settle it in front of his face. He bats at Dave’s feet, which earns him a snicker of amusement as Dave moves his feet to the side and away from John’s head. John says, “You better make sure I look good in those.”

 

“I won’t disappoint,” Dave promises, smiling to himself when John doesn’t even bother pushing him off anymore. _That’s one good way to take a picture,_ he thinks, before clicking on the camera.

 

 

 

 

002.

 

“It’s almost as horrible as the existence of movie sequels,” Dave says. “You’d think with your inclination for sports, you wouldn’t have shaky hands. But you’re as shaky as a dude who hasn’t had his sniff of pot in a week.”

 

“I don’t know what sports and drugs have to do with this,” John grumbles, half-heartedly shoving Dave away when he tries to lean over him to check his latest photo on his iPad. “Besides, if you think they’re so shitty, why do you keep looking?”

 

“A critic needs to be aware of all of his subject’s mistakes, and not just blindly assume that because one thing is shit, that everything else is.” Dave takes a moment to pause, before shrugging. “I’ve concluded that every photo you took is shit.”

 

“Asshole,” John says, innocently swinging a hand back. He laughs when Dave almost trips over his untied shoelaces in his haste to move away from John’s attempted slap. Fortunately for John, he left the camera open on before Dave stumbled, which is why he now has a picture of Dave stumbling back.

 

“Dick,” Dave shoots back, face lightly dusted with splotches of pink as he tries to regain his composure. “If you really wanted a photo of me, all you had to do was ask.”

 

“Because you’re so attractive,” John drawls, checking the camera roll. His eyes widen a tad when he notices how clear the last photo is. “ _Damn_.”

 

“What?”

 

“Take a look,” John says as he turns to let Dave have a look of the photo over his shoulder. It’s a clear picture of Dave stumbling back, one foot on his shoelace as he stretches an arm out to keep himself from completely falling back.

 

“The camera loves me,” Dave says. He grunts when John shoves an elbow back and into his stomach. “ _Hell._ Don’t have to be so rude, man. At least we know that you’re capable of taking decent photos.”

 

“Only when there’s someone about to fall because of his untied shoelaces,” John says, laughing when Dave flushes a brighter red in embarrassment. “Dave, it’s perfectly fine that you don’t know how to tie shoelaces. Even at the age of seventeen.”

 

“ _Right_ ,” Dave murmurs, folding his arms across his chest defensively. He gives a squawk when John turns around without warning, the iPad almost in his face as John takes a picture. “Hey!”

 

John swats Dave’s hands away when he tries to reach for the iPad, quickly checking the camera roll for the newest photo, and instantly gawping when he notices how clear the photo is. “The camera loves you!” John yells, startling the lady to their right who’s mowing her lawn. John runs as soon as Dave makes another move to grab the iPad from him.

 

“You’re dead when I catch you!” Dave yells, starting into a light jog as he follows after him. John only laughs in response, his iPad tightly clutched to his chest as he continues running his way home.

 

 

 

 

003.

 

“Honestly, Dave?”

 

“Shut up,” Dave whispers, cradling his camera close to his chest as he squints at Rose. She rolls her eyes at him in response, gently petting Jade’s hair as she continues slumbering in Rose’s lap. “This is a legitimate opportunity for some group photos, Rose.”

 

“Perfectly mature of you,” she says in turn, turning her eyes to John, who’s curled up beside her. He also has a dick drawn over his cheek. “I wouldn’t ever doubt your capacity for strategy when it comes to retribution.”

 

“Sarcasm really isn’t your thing,” Dave says, raising the camera to his face and making sure to get the perfect angle, before clicking down. He steps back once he’s taken two shots, letting the camera settle on his chest once more as he nods in satisfaction. “There, I’m done. Wasn’t too bad, was it?”

 

“You are aware that John is the pranking master,” Rose says solemnly, eyeing Dave with a raised eyebrow.

 

“I’ll handle him just fine.”

 

“Good luck with that.”

 

“Mm,” he hums, spinning on his heel and walking back to his room, leaving Rose with John and Jade as he hides in his dark room for the night.

 

 

 

Unsurprisingly, he’s caught with a basket on his head and an unopened can of sardines to his groin when he opens the front door to John’s house three days after.

 

 

 

 

004.

 

“You’re a hipster.”

 

“No I’m not,” Dave says, perfectly still as he crouches in front of a rose bush. (Bless his neighbors for being awesome enough to have a garden he can take photos of.) “I’d prefer if you don’t put your lame-ass labels on me, John.”

 

“Dave, all that’s missing is you wearing a scarf,” John says, kicking a rock from behind Dave as he looks up at the sky. The clouds are painted white and orange, the edges lined with pink, and it’s all really pretty despite how he’s not a person inclined to aesthetics. He’s unsurprised when Dave eventually turns to take a photo of the orange and pink-hued sky. “You like obscure bands, you take photos of almost everything, and you like irony.”

 

“Signs of a cool kid,” Dave says.

 

John sighs. “Keep being in denial, Dave. You know what Rose has to say to that.”

 

“It’s unhealthy and it’ll kill me someday?” Dave says, turning his view back to another rose bush before taking more photos.

 

“Pretty much.”

 

“Well, this isn’t denial. It’s me telling you that I’m not a hipster.”

 

John laughs, because that’s Dave totally being in denial. “Sure you aren’t.”

 

“Damn right I’m not.”

 

 

 

 

005.

 

John is asleep on Dave’s bed, and because he’s that much of a bed-hogger, Dave is sleeping on the floor.

 

He doesn’t mind, especially when he doesn’t feel like sleeping- which is a lot, these days. He doesn’t particularly understand why he’s feeling the way that he’s feeling, but he makes do with checking on the photos in his dark room, which is enough to occupy his time until he feels tired enough to take a nap.

 

It’s also why he has so much time to take photos of John, asleep, his shirt riding up to his chest because of how often he’s moved on the bed in the past two hours.

 

John doesn’t know about the photos, and Dave is pretty sure he wants it to stay that way. Preferably forever.

 

 

 

 

006.

 

“Do you have to take a goddamn picture every fucking time I’m caught under this god forsaken parasitic plant!” Karkat yells, face flushed after having been kissed by Sollux for the second time. Really, that’s his own bad luck for getting caught under the mistletoe four times in a day.

 

“Don’t feel too special, dude,” Dave says, his camera in one hand as he straightens and stands up from the couch. Karkat grumbles, rolls his eyes, and whispers something to Sollux when he moves to go back to the kitchen. Dave eyes them askance as he adds, “I’m taking photos of everyone for posterity. It’s not my fault that you keep getting caught under mistletoe.”

 

“And there’s a justifiable reason for you to take pictures every fucking time someone is playing tonsil-hockey?” Karkat asks, moving away from the mistletoe as soon as he notices someone intending to move towards the kitchen’s doorway. “Posterity isn’t a legitimate answer, douchenugget.”

 

“Why can’t you just savor the moment that you got to kiss Terezi and Jade?”

 

“How about fuck no.”

 

“Turn that frown upside down, Scowly McFrownson. It’s Christmas and you need to lighten up,” Dave says, smirking when Karkat rolls his eyes at him. As Karkat starts heading for the kitchen, he yells, “You need human love, Vantas!”

 

“I’m not the one who whimpered like a baby about his broken vinyl record, dickmonger! That’s sadder than Egbert crying over that dumb as rocks Nic Cage movie!”

 

“You don’t understand the pain of losing something vintage, horse-ass!”

 

Surprisingly, all Dave gets in response to that is a growl from the kitchen. He rolls his eyes once he realizes he’s not getting another response, slipping his camera back into its small bag and heading for the door, before stopping in his tracks when it opens on its own. Or, rather, John opens it for him. “You’re a little late to the party, dude,” Dave says, raising an eyebrow when he notices how flushed John is. “Did you run the whole way back to your own house?”

 

“Yeah, bike got a flat,” John pants, grinning through his exhaustion as he leans on the doorway. “Good thing I let you guys host the whole thing, else we’d have started at,” he trails off, looking to his watch, “9pm, damn.”

 

“It’s why we’re excellent hosts and you’re not,” Dave says, stifling a snort of laughter when John crumples into a sitting position on the doorway. He watches John for a while, fiddling with his camera bag’s flap, before blinking in bemusement when John looks up at the doorway then turns to him with wide eyes.

 

“Who planted the mistletoes?”

 

“Rose and Kanaya, why- oh.” Dave squints when he notices the tiny plant hanging from the doorway. “Well.”

 

“I don’t want to get mono,” John mock-whimpers, laughing when Dave nudges a foot into his side. “ _Ow,_ Dave.”

 

“That barely hurt, dickhead,” Dave says as he falls into a crouch in front of John. “What do the Egberts say about tradition?”

 

“Baking is the only tradition we have, and we stick to it,” John says, narrowing his eyes when Dave starts rocking on his heels with his arms stretched out over his knees. “What do the Striders say about it?”

 

“We don’t give a fuck,” Dave says, just as he leans forward and leaves a peck on John’s cheek.

 

“That’s unfair!” Jade yells from the living room, startling Dave into falling on John’s lap, until he regains his composure and stumbles into a stand. Jade heads over to them, saying, “You made me kiss Karkat on the lips, Dave. And you took a picture!”

 

“Egbert didn’t want to get mono,” Dave supplies as an explanation, his lips twitching into a smile when Jade huffs and crosses her arms over her chest. “What? It’s a valid reason.”

 

“No it’s not!” Jade says again, a frown on her face as she taps a foot on the floor. “Go on, kiss!”

 

“This is wrong on so many levels when it’s coming from you, Jade,” Dave says, grunting when John uses his hand as leverage when he stands up.

 

“I’d have understood this if it came from Rose, although Rose would probably put it on a more subtle level,” John says, pressing his forehead into Dave’s back. “I don’t want to kiss Dave, he’s gross,” John huffs as he keeps his face hidden, which just makes it easier for Dave when he shrugs a shoulder and ends up hitting John in the eye. “Ow!”

 

“You deserved that,” Dave says.

 

“Dave,” Jade warns.

 

“Jesus, _fine_ ,” Dave sighs in exasperation, before turning around and catching John’s flailing arms, pulling them down as he leans in and presses a kiss to John’s lips. It’s quick with no saliva involved, so all he gets once he pulls away and releases John’s hands is a light punch in the arm.

 

And, of course, Kanaya is there with a digital camera in one hand.

 

“Rose is a horrible influence,” is all Dave manages to say before he’s cut off with his own (completely unintentional) shriek when John heaves him onto his shoulder.

 

“I can’t believe you’re showing off your newfound Herculean strength by carrying me around like a sack of potatoes,” Dave grumbles into John’s back, ignoring how Kanaya is taking another photo of them. “Chivalry is dead because you killed it.”

 

“I’ll treat you right later,” John says.

 

Dave can totally feel that eyebrow wiggling at him. It’s taunting him is what it’s doing, despite the fact that Dave can’t really _see_ it happening.

 

“Your eyebrows shouldn’t be allowed to flirt, John.”

 

“You make no sense, Dave.”

 

“Neither do you.”

 

 

 

 

001.(2)

 

“This is certainly incriminating,” Rose says as soon as she opens Dave’s portfolio for art class.

 

“What is?” He says, throwing his bag onto his bed, before following after it with a muffled “oof.” He rolls over once he’s done stretching, a hand propping his head up as he regards Rose with a raised eyebrow. “Those are all just pictures of John.”

 

“It has a certain angle to it,” Rose says, sitting on Dave’s beanbag as she flips through the portfolio. “It almost feels like you’re trying to show me something.”

 

“What, that John is a handsome-ass bastard?”

 

Rose raises an eyebrow at him.

 

“What?” He scowls, shifting on the bed until he’s fully facing Rose while lying on his stomach. “It’s the deal I made with him. He said he’d only let me use the photos for my portfolio if the photos make him look ‘dashing’.”

 

“Really now,” Rose hums, smiling down at the photos scattered all over the pages.

 

“I’m pretty attracted to him,” Dave admits, which is, apparently, enough to catch all of Rose’s attention.

 

“Do tell.”

 

“There’s nothing else to tell?” Dave says, rolling over onto his back as he closes his eyes. It actually feels freeing to admit it to someone. “He’s attractive. I’m attracted to him. I don’t really want to change anything about our current relationship, though.”

 

“Fear doesn’t help anything, Dave.”

 

“I’m not scared; I just don’t feel like changing anything. I’m satisfied with what we have. I wouldn’t want to make things weird by telling him, “hey, you’re really attractive and I have a feeling it’ll be really nice if I kiss you right now”.”

 

“There’s no chance of you kissing him if you maintain your current status with him,” Rose says, turning her whole body to face him. “You could try, like I did with Kanaya.”

 

“You were drunk when you confessed, that’s not particularly brave,” Dave says in turn, sighing when Rose winces for a second. “It’s true. Besides, it’s not like I’m gonna die of jealousy if he ever gets a girlfriend. I’m okay so long as we’re bros, you know? It’s not like I desperately need him to notice that he might have the hots for me, like I do for him. This sort of thing will pass, anyway.”

 

“You’re certain?”

 

“As certain as the Mayans are that the people who thought the world was gonna end on 2012 are dumbfucks.”

 

Rose sighs. “Fine. I won’t interfere, considering how I understand what it is you’re going through.”

 

Dave grins. “Seems like you’re capable of restraint when it comes to things like this, after all.”

 

“Don’t push it, Dave.”

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                           

002.(2)

 

“Why even try, John? We both know that the picture’s going to end up blurry.”

 

“We can never be sure until we try,” John says, keeping Vriska close with an arm around her shoulders as he holds out his digital camera with one hand. It takes a while of him grinning and Vriska making a face at him before he clicks on the camera, waiting a second before lowering it and checking the results.

 

“See?” Vriska says, grinning when John scrunches his nose at the photo. “You suck at this, almost just as much as you do when it comes to kissing. God knows it’s why you don’t have a new girlfriend.”

 

“Spitefulness doesn’t make you look any prettier,” John says, rolling his eyes as he idly looks through his other photos. He’s barely even taken two seconds to look at one of Dave’s photos of him when Vriska snatches the camera from his hands, ignoring his yelp in complaint as she looks through the older photos. “There’s a reason you were given a mouth, and that’s because you need to use your words. _Use your words,_ Vriska.”

 

“Among other things,” Vriska says, grinning wickedly at him. “I can tell that you didn’t take the other ones. They’re a bit more decent.”

 

“Thanks, that really makes me feel better,” John says, rolling his eyes. “Just give the damn thing back.”

 

“Nuh-uh, not until I’ve satisfied my curiosity,” Vriska says with a laugh. It doesn’t take long before her laughter stops, her attention caught by a (surprisingly decent) photo of Dave, who’s sleeping on his folded arms in the picture.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

“Who took this one?” Vriska asks, raising an eyebrow at him as she lightly wiggles the camera in his face.

                                                                                                                                                                                          

“I did,” John answers, hands landing on his hips as he narrows his eyes at her. “I _am_ capable of decent photos! It just so happens that I need a hard surface to keep my elbows on. And it needs to be quick, I guess?”

 

“Uh-huh,” Vriska says with a nod, her gaze still on his face, until she rolls her eyes and goes back to checking on the photos.

 

John honestly doesn’t understand what it is with people and his photos.

 

 

 

 

007.

 

“John?”

 

John jolts from his sleeping bag, instantly tucking his camera into it as he turns to face Rose, who’s peeking into the tent he’s sharing with Dave. “You really shouldn’t creep up on someone like that,” he says, still trying to steady his heartbeat with one hand flat on his chest.

 

“Sorry,” Rose says, her gaze turning from him to Dave, who’s sleeping beside him. She turns her gaze back up to him eventually. “Are you alright? You look troubled.”

 

“I’m perfectly fine,” John says, grinning at her. He shifts a bit, just so Rose won’t notice the small lump his camera is making under the sleeping bag. “Just thinking about how much Dave snores.”

 

“He’s quiet compared to a certain someone,” Rose says with a smile. John huffs at that.

 

“Fine, so he’s not that much of a snorer compared to me,” John grumbles. “What are you doing up, anyway?”

 

“I couldn’t sleep, so I thought to take a walk.”

 

“Isn’t it dark out there?”

 

“I had my girlfriend with me.”

 

There’s pause, before John nods. “Well, okay. So long as you had someone with you.”

 

“Thank you for the concern.” Rose smiles. “Karkat is awake as well, and I think he might be willing to trade places with you. He’s already rather used to Dave’s snoring, for some reason.”

 

John doesn’t notice his hand clenching into his sleeping bag, but Rose certainly does. “They’ve gotten pretty close ever since Karkat started studying in Skaia,” John says with a grin. “But hey, it’s fine. What kind of best friend would I be if I couldn’t handle it?”

 

“A fine question,” Rose says, smiling that mysterious smile of hers, before she straightens up and pats at her knees. “I’ll return to my tent, then. Good luck with sleeping with Dave.”

 

John nods absently, not noticing how Rose chuckles to herself as she zips their tent back up. He checks his camera from under the sleeping bag once her shadow disappears from outside, finger hovering over the delete button as he looks through his photos of a sleeping Dave.

 

It takes one smile from the last photo of Dave, which has him turned and facing John, his hand so close to John’s hip, before John turns his camera off and goes back to sleep.

 

He couldn’t delete anything, in the end.

 

 

 

 

000.

 

It starts when John’s dad gives him his first camera, and Dave steals it for himself to take selfies. “It’s a gift, appreciate it,” Dave says, and while John scowls, he doesn’t bother getting the camera back. He’ll just delete the photos once Dave is done, anyway.

 

Thirty minutes pass, and John finds himself roped into taking photos with Dave. “This is dumb,” John says, because it is, but he sighs and grins at the camera anyway. “Your selfies are even dumber,” he says through gritted teeth, and Dave shoves an elbow into his side, which is why he’s caught with a grimace on the photo.

 

Dave rolls his eyes from under his shades when he’s done taking shots of them, quickly checking the camera roll, before handing the camera back to John. “They’re ironic,” Dave says, back turned to John as he starts unpacking his things (DVDs and CDs of movies to be watched, mostly) onto John’s bed. “You’ll understand when you grow older.”

 

“I’ll understand when the world tilts on its axis,” John says, slipping the lanyard from his camera around his neck, letting it hang over his chest as he sits on his computer chair. Dave rolls his eyes in response, rants about John’s lack of taste as he pops a disc into John’s DVD player, all while moving to sit by John’s feet, a pillow under his ass as he presses play for the movie.

 

It doesn’t take long before Dave falls asleep, because he’s a dick like that. God knows why he even popped in Ghost Rider as the fourth movie for their marathon, even when he himself knew how much his energy dissipates in the face of Nic Cage’s flaming skeleton body. (John thinks Dave was attempting to be a nicer friend, but that went to shit as soon as Dave started yawning.)

 

But it doesn’t end there. Not only does Dave fall asleep in the middle of the movie, he also falls asleep with his head on his folded arms, which are both on John’s lap. John should just kick him off for good measure.

 

He goes for a photo of Dave’s sleeping face instead, because he’s more decent a friend than Dave is. He’s expecting it to be bad, mostly because Dave snores and no one can ever look appealing while sleeping, but it’s not. Dave looks fine, relaxed, and while John has a nagging feeling that this is going to be the start of something embarrassing and vaguely creepy, he still admits to himself that Dave looks really peaceful and mildly attractive when he sleeps. Mostly because he’s not worrying about puppet piles or sword piles or any other piles which his brother may throw at him.

 

He stuffs his camera back into its bag before he can delve further into his bemusing and unnecessary guilt-trip, before shaking Dave awake because his legs are falling asleep.

 

“You don’t fucking wake a man in the middle of his slumber, douchenozzle,” Dave grumbles while getting up, before throwing himself into John’s bed without permission.

 

“You don’t sleep on your best friend’s thigh thinking it’s a pillow without acknowledging the possible consequences, asshole,” John says in turn, not at all looking at Dave as he crawls under the sheets.

 

It’s all fine, despite how he takes another picture when Dave fully conks out in his bed. _It’s for pranking purposes_ , he thinks to himself.

 

He’s pretty sure it’s a lie.


End file.
